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HALIBURTON COUNTY, ON, Jan. 27, 2012 /CNW/ - The Eastern Ontario
Wardens' Caucus has awarded a Local Access Contract that will provide more than 24,000 homes and businesses improved access
to high-speed Internet. The region includes portions of Haliburton
County and a northern part of Peterborough County.

As part of the contract, Bell Aliant will provide a wired or DSL
solution that will expand broadband access in the 2,700
square-kilometre area. Bell Aliant will lay 121 kilometres of new fibre
optic cable and rely on eight new "Points of Presence" within the
region.

"We are extremely pleased to announce this contract," said Mel Campbell,
Chair of the EOWC. "This will expand high-quality wired Internet access
in an area that had been hard to service because of its dispersed
population."

Satellite services will provide the balance of high-speed coverage in
the area. Satellite access remains the best fit technology for very
sparsely populated areas or regions with difficult terrain. Contracts
have already been signed to deliver high-speed via satellite at
improved pricing across Eastern Ontario.

This is the sixth of several contracts that will be awarded to deliver
high-speed Internet through wired and fixed wireless services as part
of the Eastern Ontario regional broadband project. The $170 million
project is funded by federal, provincial and municipal governments and
private sector investment. Work to build a massive, 5,500-km fibre
optic network is already underway.

"We are making excellent progress in building a new regional network
that will allow our residents and businesses to prosper," added Dave
Burton, Chair of Eastern Ontario Regional Network Inc., (EORN).
"Connecting to the Internet with higher speeds will open new doors for
our communities in terms of quality of life and economic growth."

EORN is a not-for-profit organization established by the EOWC to
manage all contracts awarded as part of the project.

Once up and running in fall 2012, a variety of service packages will be
offered, ranging from 1.5 Mbps to up to 10 Mbps. These speeds will
enable users to stream video and other innovative applications that
will support various sectors, including business, health and education.

SOURCE Eastern Ontario Regional Network

For further information:

Disponible en français.

Additional information on the project is available at www.eorn.ca. For more information, contact: Lisa Severson, Communications & Stakeholder Relations Officer, EORN, 613-213-8520, lseverson@eorn.ca.